Dual Challenges – IU Prepares for Bowl, Works Young Players

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - It's always about building.

Tom Allen and his staff understand that.

This season's unprecedented success guarantees nothing for the future. The goal is to have a program that wins for the next decade and beyond, which means maximizing every opportunity.

Take, for instance, bowl preparations.

In a non-pandemic world, there's lots of time to work with young players while devising game plans and dialing in veterans.

In this world, with a later season, unchanging bowl dates and a COVID-19 outbreak, time is limited and flexibility is vital.

So as No. 7 IU (6-1) prepares for its Jan. 2 Outback Bowl meeting with Ole Miss (4-5), even amid pandemic restrictions, it squeezes in time for extra work with the young players.

That included a few pre-Christmas practices.

"The first two were dedicated to that focus on fundamentals," Allen said. "Those (younger) guys haven't gotten as many reps or periods."

Yes, there's always a buzz about recruiting, and the Hoosiers have made big strides the last couple of years, but player development is the game changer.

That's why Allen and his staff are focused in on young guys you've seen (Javon Swinton and Tim Baldwin Jr.) and some you haven't (Randy Holtz, Beau Robbins, Damarjhe Lewis and Bryson Bonds).

"These guys get more reps," Allen says, "the more opportunities to get better."

A big emphasis is on young offensive linemen such as the 6-7, 350-pound Holtz and Cameron Knight, the younger brother of former Hoosier and current Dallas Cowboy Brandon Knight.

"Randy Holtz is one of those guys we are trying to bring along," Allen said. "He's obviously a big, big individual. We want to see him continue to grow and develop. That will be big for us.

As for Knight, "He's a guy who has a bright future here."

So do receivers such as Swinton (4 catches for 52 yards, including two for 23 yards in the dramatic overtime win over Penn State) and David Baker.

"We have gotten David Baker lots of reps," Allen said. "He continues to make plays and do a good job."

Then there's running back Tim Baldwin Jr., who rushed for 106 yards against Maryland.

Robbins has a lot of potential as a defensive lineman.

"He's really starting to come into his own," Allen said. "These extra practices and all the work he has done is starting to show up."

Bonds is a promising cornerback from Texas. He had a tackle against Penn State in the season opener.

"We mentioned him early," Allen said, "but he hasn't played a lot."

That's also true of Ty Wise, a former all-state linebacker at Carmel.

"He's another one who has done some good things," Allen said.

"We really think (Wise and Bonds) have a good chance to be great players for us. They have gotten a lot more reps. This (time) is critical for that."

Then there were the players banged up by playing seven-straight weeks of bruising Big Ten battles.

"We try to get those guys back, give them a chance to get in there, get a ton of reps, get themselves physically developed," Allen said.

"And then keep getting better as a team. I feel good about what we are getting accomplished."

Ultimately, it's about getting the program's first bowl victory since 1991. That means slowing down the SEC's No. 1 offense. Ole Miss averages 40.7 points a game led by quarterback Matt Corral and a big-play attack.

"It's always important to affect the quarterback," Allen said. "The big play is a huge emphasis for them. They live off those.

"The deceiving part is they also rush for 220 yards a game. We have to affect the quarterback, but we also have to tackle him because he runs effectively. He gets a lot of his yards off the scramble, not necessarily a designed run.

"They have a bunch of running backs, and the receiving corps is a lot of guys who can hurt us. We have to do some special things to affect that."

Indiana University Athletics

Dual Challenges – IU Prepares for Bowl, Works Young Players

Players Mentioned

David Baker

Tim Baldwin Jr.

Bryson Bonds

Randy Holtz

Brandon Knight

Cameron Knight

Damarjhe Lewis

Beau Robbins

Javon Swinton

Ty Wise

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